Aspyr Media has announced the release of a new patch for Civilization V. Among other things the patch updates the game to version 1.0.2.21 and brings the game back in synch with the Windows version, giving Mac players the chance to once again face off against their Windows PC counterparts.

Aspyr has released the latest patch for Sid Meier’s Civilization V. The patch brings Civilization V up to version 1.0.2.21 and back in sync with the PC version.

What does that mean, exactly? It means Mac players can stomp all over their PC counterparts in cross-platform multiplayer again! There are also a TON of changes and updates that come with the patch. The full patch notes can be found after the jump.

These changes will be reflected on the multiplayer status list from the Special Report: The Multiplayer Battle Between Steam and the Mac App Store post. (Check it out for a detailed look at the challenges of bringing multiplayer to Mac games!)

Sega's Total War Battles: SHOGUN is now available for purchase from Mac Game Store. The game offers players the chance to enjoy quick-fire tactical combat and strategic building and unit management set in medieval Japan.

Total War Battles: SHOGUN, this year’s hit real-time strategy game for mobile, is now available Mac.

Total War Battles: SHOGUN delivers quick-fire, tactical combat balanced with strategic building and unit management. All set in a beautifully illustrated Medieval Japan.

Total War Battles: SHOGUN is the most complete and up-to-date version of the game. Including enhanced visuals such as anti-aliasing, improved shadows and additional lighting effects. Plus a broader overview of mission-maps, all the better to plan your genious strategies. Total War Battles™: SHOGUN also includes Achievements and leaderboard rankings.

As an additional bonus, on purchase the game also automatically unlocks the Sendai Faction Pack for use in Total War: Shogun 2 – Fall Of The Samurai.

COMPETE FOR THE SUPREMACY OF MEDIEVAL JAPAN

Lead your clan to battle through more than 10 hours of story-driven campaign set in the world of Total War™; winner of “Best Strategy Game of 2011” awards from Gamespot, IGN, Gamespy and GameTrailers.

BUILD YOUR ECONOMY & YOUR WAR MACHINE

Deploy and manage your bases to generate resources and recruit units including samurai, archers, ninjas and cavalry. Each victory awards XP to spend on building and troop upgrades that will make a decisive difference to your future battles.

A UNIQUE TAKE ON REAL-TIME BATTLES

Total War Battles™: SHOGUN introduces a new real-time battle system that feels both familiar and fresh. The hex-based battle map allows for quick and simple unit movements that lead to deep and cunning strategies. However, as followers of the “Bushido” code of conduct, your units can never turn back – this twist to classic RTS gameplay adds tension and intensity to the action, making each victory even more rewarding.

SKIRMISH MODE

Play through six standalone battles in Normal, Hard or Shogun difficulty. Compete against other players on the leaderboards and unlock new Skirmish achievements.

STRATEGY FOR ALL

Total War™ fans will naturally enjoy the intense, deep and rewarding action-strategy gameplay, while more casual strategy fans will appreciate the Zen simplicity of the tutorial battles, scalable difficulty level and hint system that will soon make them a tactical master.

Blizzard Entertainment recently posted a new preview of the upcoming 1.07 patch for its fantasy action RPG, Diablo III. The update will include a variety of changes and additions including dueling, class updates, crafting additions, monster power changes, monster affix changes, and other "quality of life" improvements.

The Scorched Chapel: Dueling

As Jay discussed in his PvP update, patch 1.0.7 will introduce dueling, allowing players to test their mettle against fellow Nephalem. Here's a quick rundown of how dueling will work in Diablo III as well as some insight into our design philosophy for the system.

How it Works:

To duel another player, you’ll need to speak with Nek the Brawler at the inn in New Tristram

Speaking with Nek will take you and your party to the Scorched Chapel, a new zone designed specifically for player combat

This zone has custom geometry and features four different areas: the church, the graveyard, the river, and the lake

Dueling currently supports up to four players in a Free-For-All format, which means you can battle your friends either one-on-one, three-player FFA, or a full four-player FFA

Our intent is to provide players a safe, opt-in location where they can fight one another for bragging rights (or maybe science) without the potential for griefing as it existed in Diablo II.

The game doesn't keep score and there are no objectives. We wanted dueling to be as simple and straightforward as possible, so we created a minimalist system -- we know that even without rewards and objectives, some players just want to beat each other up. Some matchups may be one-sided, and we don't expect that battles will be necessarily balanced. But that's okay, because dueling in Diablo III is more about kicking ass and taking names in a no-holds-barred sort of way, and this design certainly allows you to accomplish that.

Blizzard Entertainment has added a free character name change to all player accounts for its sci-fi RTS, StarCraft II. The offering serves as an apology of sorts to players who were anticipating a promised paid name change service which the company quietly "deprioritized."

We owe you an apology. Some time ago, we communicated a plan to make a paid name change service available to players. We want you to be able to change your name in-game more freely, and do so as often as you like.

The small percentage of players who used the free name changes that we previously offered, the introduction of Battle.net Battle Tags, careful consideration of how character names will work with Battle Tags in the future, and our increasing focus on completing StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm all contributed to us deprioritizing the Paid Character Name Change feature. The fact that we didn’t keep you updated when we deprioritized the feature was a mistake, and we aim to do a much better job of keeping you informed in the future.

We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that the lack of name change options has caused anyone. We’ve definitely heard your passion for this subject, and we should have more information about a Paid Character Name Change feature shortly after the release of Heart of the Swarm. In the meantime, we’ve added a new free name change to all player accounts.

We’re planning to offer another free name change to all players when the new Clans feature goes live in the next couple of months, so don’t worry about removing your clan tag from your character name with this one. We will alert you to that when the time comes.